Protective apparatus



@mmn mu Feb. 1, 1955 F. PAULEY PROTECTIVE APPARATUS Filed Sept.

INVENTOR Ewz/r Paw/9y 7% 2w 5mm TTORNEY FIGQZ PROTECTIVE APPARATUS FrankPauley, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application September 1, 1953, Serial No. 377,809

1 Claim. (Cl. 109-11) My invention is an improvement in devices forensuring the safety of persons who are entrusted with the handling ofcash money; and for foiling robbery and possible murder by unscrupulousand desperate criminals.

The invention is especially adapted for use in change booths and at thecages and desks of paying tellers and cashiers; and other places wherebank notes, metal currency and other articles of value are kept for anykind of transaction requiring facilities for quickly completing it. Inits preferred form the device comprises a movable shield or panel,supported in such position that it will not interfere with the regularduties of an employee in a business establishment, yet capable of beinginterposed at an instants notice between such an employee and an armedman confronting him. The panel thus serves as a screen or obstructionagainst attack and gives the employee sufficient protection while hesounds an alarm and gets out of harms way.

The nature of my invention and the objects and advantages thereof arefully set forth hereinafter, and a preferred embodiment is illustratedin the drawings. But this disclosure is explanatory only and I may adoptminor variations in structure not shown, but fully covered by the broadand general meanings of the terms of the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows in perspective and in outline the counter or desk of aperson handling money or other valuable articles in a closed booth orcage.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the counter or desk and its protectivemechanism; and

Figure 3 shows a detail of said mechanism.

The counter, stand or the like 1, behind which the proper employee ofthe establishment takes his seat has a top 2 directly in front of theemployee and a higher top 3 more to the front for the benefit of allhaving business dealings at said counter. In many business houses thestand or counter 1 is located within a cage, booth or other enclosure,the walls of which are indicated by the broken lines 4, with a door 5that can be kept locked. The counter 1 can be large enough for severalpersons, and the front wall or partition of glass or iron grillwork willof course have a small window or opening for each just above the top 3as indicated at 6. In some large banks, for example, the counter will bea long one to be used by many employees in front of a wall, and theenclosing walls are omitted.

The top 3 is flat, but in line with each window 6 a hinged panel 7 isset into the top 3. This panel can be actuated in an emergency and swungup about its forward edge as indicated by the broken lines in Figure 1,to act as a protective screen or shield. It is large enough to cover thewindow and much of the front wall bearing the window and stop or deflecta bullet, and thus avert danger to the employee stationed behind thewindow 6.

The panel rests on the upper edge of the vertical front 8 and thevertical wall 9 connecting the lower and upper tops 2 and 3; and theends 10 of the counter can be closed. Within the counter is a powerfulU-shaped spring 11 with turns or loops 12 at the middle of the two arms.The arms are secured to the front 8 within the counter and the undersideof the panel 7, with the loops or bends 12 in the corner adjacent thefront 8, by staples 13; and the part 14 connecting the two arms of thespring is engaged by the bent end 15 of a lever 16. This end forms ahook which holds the panel 7 down United States Patent 0 'ice flush withthe top 3. The lever 16 has trunnions 17 intermediate its ends inbearings at the ends of a metal plate 18 affixed to the underside of thetop 2 or at any other convenient point in the stand or counter 1. Thelever 16 extends downward nearly to the floor on which the counter 1 isplaced. A spring 19 is so attached to this lever and the counter as tomaintain the hook 15 in pdsition to keep the spring bent and stressed asshown in Figure 2.

The lever 16 has a wide lower end 20 with a slot 21 therein. Ahorizontal lever 22 is pivoted at 23 on the floor supporting the counter1, and this lever 22 has a pin 24 projecting into the slot 21. The slot21 is inclined at such an angle that when the end of this lever 22 withthe pin 24 rises, the lever 16 is actuated to withdraw the hook 15 andrelease the spring 11. The panel then flies upward into verticalposition.

The lever 22 must of course be fully housed so that no one willinadvertently step on it behind the counter 1. Hence the end oppositethe pin terminates short of the rear wall 25 of the counter. This wallhas a vertical panel or gate 26 connected by spring hinges 27 inside tothe floor 28. These hinges keep the door or gate upright and closed,with its upper edge abutting an overlapping strip of molding 29. Thegate 26 can extend the whole length of the counter and the end of thelever 22 is in close proximity to it. Hence any employee behind thecounter has only to press it inward with his foot to engage the lever22, operate the lever 16 and release the spring 11. If the counter is alarge one, the gate 26 can be forced in at any point to release all thepanels 7 in the top 3 simultaneously. In fact, the entire top 3 can bemounted to fly up in the manner described. The gate 26 is elongatedhorizontally and is always within easy reach of said employee.

The panel 7 has abutments 30 and 31 on its underside to make contactwith the upper edge of the wall 8 when the panel 7 is forced down; and across bar 31' on the lower face against which the spring 11 presses withthe part 14 overlapping, so that the hook 15 can always reach it. Thepanel 7 can be connected by a stout loose cable 33 to the wall 9 orother part of the counter to arrest it short of the front wall of theenclosure for the counter, or as soon as it reaches upright position.Instead of a cable, links 32 as shown in Figure 2, can be utilized.

Under the lever 22 near the gate 26 is a push button or other switch 34which will close an electric circuit to energize an alarm. When thepanel 26 is pushed in and the lever 22 depressed to release the panel 7,the alarm is actuated at the same time. Robberies of establishments likethe ones described herein, are usually perpetrated by the criminalaiming at the employee through the Window 6 and demanding that the lootbe handed out through the window. But the robber will be entirelyfrustrated when the employee kicks in the gate 26 and the panel 7 fliesup. As this is done, the employee can get out of immediate danger bydropping to the floor behind the counter 1.

Of course other devices besides springs and levers can be employed tothrow the panel 7 upward, and I do not wish to be limited to the precisemeans set forth herein for actuating my invention in the mannerrequired.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new is:

An article of furniture having a closed front, a top and a horizontalpanel at the top with an edge adjacent said front, and mounted to bemovable about said edge as an axis, a bent spring secured within saidarticle and to the underside of the panel and stressed to move the panelinto vertical position to screen the top, an upright lever pivotedbetween its ends within said article and having a bent upper endengaging said spring at the panel to retain the panel in horizontalposition, a spring attached to said lever and said article to hold saidlever in engaging position, the lower end of the lever having acam-slot, a second lever within the lower part of said article andaccessible at the rear thereof, said second lever having a pin engagingsaid slot at one end and mounted to be depressible at its opposite endto swing the first-named lever away from said first-named spring torelease said spring and enable it to raise the panel to verticalposition, the article having a closed vertical rear wall, and anelongated horizontally extended hinged gate in said wall adjacent andcovering and concealing the last-named lever and movable inward toengage the depressible end of the second lever.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSHankins Oct. 12, Frank Nov. 1, Horvitz July 6, Stout June 12, Smith Feb.9, Thompson Oct. 10,

